1930s Evening Gowns

Last Saturday was the Art Deco Society Preservation Ball and while my friend, Libett, and I didn’t make our gowns, I’m pretty certain that the Sew Weekly readers would appreciate seeing what we wore.

I bought my dress back in 2009 (for only $95!) at the Vintage Fashion Expo in San Francisco. This is right around the time I began sewing and I was just coming off the buzz of 2009’s Gatsby Summer Afternoon. That’s probably why I bought a black velvet 1930s evening gown that really didn’t have a purpose in my wardrobe. I’m certainly glad I did because I LOVE this dress so much. It’s comfortable, fits well, has no flaws and is just a testament to a gorgeous bias-cut gown. Libett’s sister did our hair the night before (finger waves and pin-curls) and the result was fabulous!

Libett rented her fabulous bias-cut gown from a theater costume rental shop in Marin. And because she’s such a meticulous dresser, she took the time to reinforce all the buttons on the dress. Her hair was also done by her sister, Tery. Libett’s getting married in July (I’m a bridesmaid) so you all can look forward to some additional beautiful pics of Libett at that time.

We (my mom and I) made bias cut gowns for my sister’s honeymoon on the Orient Express. It was a real learning experience but I remember following the cutting directions very carefully. of course, my sister is tall, so it was really worth the efforts.
I like how you specify that your gown was so comfortable to wear, that is a real point for me, must be an age thing.

About the Sew Weekly

The Sew Weekly began as Mena Trott's attempt to document the process of sewing all of her own clothes in 2010. In 2011, four other contributors (Debi Fry, Adey Lim, Veronica Darling & Sarah Gabbart) joined her and for 52 weeks, they sewed based on a particular weekly theme. In 2012, The Sew Weekly became a much larger group blog with over 130 contributors sewing along each week.